Diabetes currently affects 7% of the United States population,
or 20.8 million Americans, and more than half are women.
Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death today, and a large
percentage of diabetics don't even know that they have the
disease.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or
properly use insulin. Insulin is a very important hormone that
is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into
energy--the energy we need for daily life. Although the cause of
diabetes is unknown, certain genetic and environmental factors
do seem to increase the likelihood of the disease. These include
obesity and lack of exercise.

Diabetes is a disease that develops over time, and your health
care provider can help you find out whether you are likely to
become a diabetic. The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or the
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) is used to tell if someone
has pre-diabetes or diabetes. If she returns a blood glucose
level above a certain amount she has the disease.

The major types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes, type 2
diabetes, gestational diabetes and pre-diabetes. Type 1 diabetes
results when the body fails to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes
results when the body fails to properly use insulin. Most
American diabetics have Type 2 diabetes. Pregnant women who have
high blood sugar levels during pregnancy have gestational
diabetes. Those with pre-diabetes have higher than normal blood
sugar levels, but not to the point where they reach the
diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Common symptoms of diabetes include: frequent urination,
excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger,
sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness in the hands or
feet, exhaustion much of the time, very dry skin, sores that are
slow to heal and more infections than usual. Diabetics may have
some of these symptoms or none at all.